Buzz
In today's information-driven world, it’s more crucial than ever to market things in a way that aligns with political correctness. The way controversial topics are framed can either spark support or ignite backlash.
Fortunately, some groups have mastered the art of making even the most dreadful topics sound surprisingly enticing. Some of their most obvious examples are also among the funniest.
10. The Pentagon's Neutron Bomb
The Pentagon realized early on that convincing the public to support thermonuclear weapons meant altering the language used. In the late 1970s, when the Pentagon was seeking Senate funding for the development of the neutron bomb, they rebranded it as an "enhanced radiation device" instead of using the term neutron bomb. This clever linguistic shift worked, and the Pentagon secured the funding they requested. The term 'enhanced radiation device' is still in use today.
Technically, the Pentagon wasn’t entirely misleading. The neutron bomb does indeed emit far more radiation than a typical nuclear bomb. The primary advantage (from a military standpoint) was that the explosion itself was smaller, and the amount of residual radiation was minimal. This meant that while a significant number of people would perish instantly, the cities would remain relatively undamaged. The U.S. military believed this would be an ideal way to eliminate Soviet soldiers while leaving the infrastructure intact. Sadly, the chosen name for the weapon sounds more akin to a cancer treatment than a nuclear weapon.
9. Controversial Finance
The financial sector is arguably one of the most loathed industries worldwide. In recent years, we've seen widespread protests against Wall Street and the concept of crony capitalism. There's also been no shortage of anti-banking documentaries. Simply put, the financial industry is steeped in controversy.
People are dissatisfied. As a result, the financial sector has had to become more inventive in its tactics. Perhaps that’s the reasoning behind the terminology the finance world uses. Practices that exploit loopholes to present a misleadingly positive image are now known as 'creative accounting.'
The financial disasters of the past decade have had devastating impacts on the economy. Perhaps that's why Wall Street now refers to them as 'negative profits' (in contrast to optimistic profits). To add to this, the financial world now labels people who avoid relying on it as having a certain deficiency. Those who use cash rather than credit cards are now referred to as 'underbanked.'
8. Political Deception by Winston Churchill
In 1906, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was running for a seat in Parliament. One of his main talking points during his campaign was the previous government's decision to bring 60,000 Chinese citizens to work as indentured laborers. These workers were used for British labor, and many considered this an act of exploitation. Churchill aligned with those who viewed this as outright slavery and strongly condemned the policy.
After Churchill was elected, he realized he had to retract his earlier statements. He didn’t want to accuse the British Crown of supporting slavery, but he also didn’t want to appear deceitful. In his about-face, he refused to outright say that the Chinese indentured workers were slaves. Instead, he gave a speech in which he referred to it as a 'terminological inexactitude.' It was a PR masterpiece.
This euphemism has been recycled over time. Former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig also took advantage of it. At one point, he defended himself by saying, 'That’s not a lie. It’s a terminological inexactitude.'
7. Conscious Uncoupling
Divorce rates are at an all-time high. In the United States, the divorce rate stands at 53 percent, while in the UK, it’s 42 percent. Clearly, this is a sensitive topic for many. That’s exactly why a psychologist from Los Angeles decided to reframe divorce by calling it 'conscious uncoupling.'
Katherine Woodward Thomas helped take some of the sting out of divorce by publishing a book on the subject. In it, she coins the term 'conscious uncoupling.' Since then, many celebrities have adopted this term in their highly publicized divorces. Gwyneth Paltrow, for example, commented on her own recent divorce: 'We hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.'
The term has caught on rapidly. Many reputable news outlets and law firms have started using 'conscious uncoupling' instead of calling it an amicable or uncontested divorce. Perhaps in the future, we’ll see a new legal niche for 'conscious uncoupling lawyers.'
6. Police Seizing Nonessential Items
Hurricane Katrina was one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in U.S. history, not just because of the widespread damage but also due to the lawlessness that followed. New Orleans residents saw the disaster as an opportunity to loot 'free stuff' from local stores, and the police were not exempt from this behavior.
Twelve officers were caught looting goods from a local Walmart during the chaos. This naturally sparked a significant controversy. In response, New Orleans Deputy Chief of Police Marlon Defillo was appointed to handle the situation. He assured the public that the actions of the officers were under investigation. However, instead of calling it looting, Defillo referred to it as the 'appropriation of nonessential items.'
MSNBC reporter Martin Savidge was in the Walmart with his camera crew throughout the entire ordeal. In the footage, police officers can be seen looting alongside civilians. When questioned, the officers seemed evasive, defensive, and nervous. By the end of the video, it’s clear that the reporter believed the officers were 'appropriating nonessential items.'
5. Environmental Pollution
Pollution is a massive problem that affects everyone. Despite its size, opinions about it vary. Environmentalists (and pretty much everyone else) see it as a threat to life on Earth. However, corporations responsible for pollution often avoid addressing it unless absolutely necessary. This is where the PR teams come into play.
Companies involved in pollution have long been inventing terms to downplay the issue. Take Orica, a massive Australian mining company that manufactures chemicals and explosives for mining operations. The company sparked controversy when 900 kilograms (2,000 lb) of ammonia gas leaked from one of its factories. Rather than calling it an ammonia leak, Orica labeled it 'fugitive emissions.' Unlike most fugitives, these emissions had no chance of being captured.
Orica received the 'worst words' award from the Plain English Foundation for the term 'fugitive emissions.' But the pollution doublespeak doesn’t stop there. The EPA now refers to smog-filled cities as 'nonattainment areas.' Contaminants that pollute water are called 'runoff.' Controversial oil drilling is now known as 'energy exploration.' Companies that consistently exceed pollution limits are said to be producing 'routine exceedances.'
4. Human Waste Fertilizer
Many people don't realize that a significant portion of tap water comes from sewage. After being decontaminated, filtered, and processed, the sewage is integrated into municipal water systems. However, after this refining process, a considerable amount of sewage sludge remains. One day, someone had the brilliant idea to ask, 'How can we profit from this?'
Today, sewage sludge is now referred to as 'biosolids' and is used to fertilize the food we consume. A large biosolids industry has emerged because they offer a cheaper alternative to manure. Essentially, all that human waste is just sitting there, waiting to be converted into cash.
Thanks to its more palatable name, biosolids have become widespread. They are now used to fertilize nearly everything. The EPA acknowledges that properly processed sewage sludge and biosolids are essentially the same. The difference? One term sounds far more appetizing than the other.
Concerns about the safety of biosolids have emerged, and the issue remains controversial. Humans, being at the top of the food chain, accumulate a variety of environmental toxins, which is the primary concern. Because of this, regulations currently prevent biosolids from being used on certified organic food.
3. The Keystone Pipeline
The Keystone Pipeline was one of the most contentious environmental debates of the past decade. The proposed oil pipeline was designed to stretch from Canada to the Gulf. Environmentalists feared it would devastate ecosystems, and Native American communities were outraged that the pipeline would cross their reservations without their consent.
Oil companies stood to gain billions of dollars from the pipeline's construction. With so much at stake, they spent millions lobbying politicians. Senator Joni Ernst was one of the key recipients of this lobbying money and also one of the pipeline's most vocal advocates. She introduced the Keystone Pipeline bill, calling it the 'Keystone Jobs Bill.' This move sparked significant controversy among its critics.
Ernst also described the pipeline as a 'bipartisan infrastructure project.' However, the language shift didn’t have the desired effect. In 2015, the president ultimately vetoed the Keystone Jobs Bill.
2. Illegal Whale Hunting (For Science)
Whaling is widely recognized as an illegal activity. The International Whaling Commission imposed a global ban in 1986. However, the demand for whale products hasn’t disappeared. Whale hunting remains a profitable business, with the meat, blubber, and bones fetching substantial amounts that many nations are unwilling to forgo.
Japan has been the most resourceful in circumventing the international restrictions. Before the ban, whaling was a major industry in Japan, with over 900 whales killed each year. After the ban, Japan cleverly rebranded the practice as 'scientific whaling.' Though the meat was still being sold, the Japanese justified the hunts as research expeditions.
The 'scientific whaling' excuse quickly lost credibility, leading Japan into global controversy. Australia, New Zealand, and the International Whaling Commission condemned the practice. In 2014, an international court ruled Japan guilty of illegal whaling, ordering them to cease operations in Antarctica. Japan ignored the ruling and continued its unlawful whaling activities.
1. Dead Astronauts
The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986 was the most devastating disaster in NASA’s history. Just 73 seconds after launch, the crew and the shuttle were obliterated in front of spectators. President Reagan addressed the nation shortly afterward, and the tragedy dominated news coverage for weeks.
In the wake of the Challenger disaster, NASA sought to minimize the emotional impact of the tragedy. One of its efforts to soften the blow involved altering the language used to describe the event. In a now-infamous statement, NASA spokespeople referred to the calamity as an 'anomaly.'
As if calling it an anomaly wasn’t enough, NASA took it even further by referring to the charred remains as 'recovered components' and the victims' coffins as 'crew transfer containers.' The absurdity of these terms didn’t go unnoticed, and many major news outlets highlighted their ridiculousness. In fact, NASA’s attempt at doublespeak earned them the 1986 Doublespeak Award from the National Council of Teachers of English.
